The PK Killers
by Hikarusoney
Summary: The story of a guild of nine people who pride themselves on stopping PKers. However, when a huge boom of serial killings begins, how exactly will Nemui and the rest of his guild handle the situation? Will they crack under the pressure? Or will they punish all those who kill for fun? OC story. References to main characters/some mild interaction.
1. Chapter 1

**December 3rd, 2022.**

"Oi, Nemui! Nemui, can you hear me?!" A girl called out, hands on her hips. Her piercing blue eyes stared at the boy before her, otherwise shoulder-length white hair tied back in pig tails. A short sword hung off her waist, along with about a dozen knives, each with a white handle. Her white dress clung to her body nicely, red belts crossing the chest in an X. There were even knives hanging off of those too.

"Huh?" He responded, hazel eyes blinking a few times from underneath his blond hair. As usual, his eyelids were half closed, a slow stream of drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth. He wore a simple green t-shirt and blue pants. Nothing special. The only thing mildly impressive was the silver cutlass hanging off of his side. Not many people managed to get their hands on something like that.

"Come on, we're supposed to be heading to clear the second floor dungeon with everyone else!" She pouted, quickly flicking the tip of his nose. Nemui barely felt it.

"Oh.. Yeah.. Sorry, Bluebell," He replied, voice extremely slow. With a sigh he pushed himself up onto his feet, stretching out with a yawn. Bluebell placed her head in her hand, sighing softly. Why was she stuck partying with this guy? Oh right. It was because the others left already!

"Let's just get going, okay? Vicky's gonna be really mad if we don't show up on time." She took him by the hand, practically having to drag him to the teleport stand. His feet dragged the entire time. "At least try and stay focused this time, okay? You won't do us much good if you're asleep."

"I don't see why you need me to help. You guys are all higher levels than me," Nemui yawned again, eyes already starting to close.

"Having four people fight at once is better than three. Anyways, besides Vicky you're our hardest hitter. Cutlasses do more damage than a knife, you know," Bluebell pointed out for the umpteenth time. Because of Nemui, they had all missed the fight with the first boss. It wasn't exactly fair for the rest of them. He had to learn that he was part of a guild and needed to start acting like it. Even if he was only level 10.

Anyone with half a brain knew not to piss off their leader though and Nemui was doing that an awful lot lately. Vicky was probably ready to lop his head off and hang it from her belt. Bluebell wouldn't put it past her.

"Why don't you get Magnus to cover for me? He uses a sword and a shield. That's gotta be worth more than my cutlass," Nemui argued. Bluebell just shot him a look that said "shut up". He did.

"Transport! Urbus!" Bluebell called out. In a blink of an eye, they were standing at the entrance to the second floor. Urbus wasn't all that special, just your average town. What they wanted was the entrance to the level two dungeon. Bluebell kept a tight grip on Nemui's hand as she pulled him through the crowd, weaving in between people.

"S-slow down!" Nemui told her, hoping she would at least slow to a walk. Nope. She kept on in a full on sprint, dragging him straight out of town.

"We can't slow down! We need to catch up to Vicky and Magnus!" Bluebell shouted back at him, feet pounding against the dirt trail leading them outside of Urbus. Once she had her mind set on something, there was no way to talk her out of it. Stubborn as a mule, her father had always said. Right up to the day he died. She figured she might as well stay the same way.

The sun was almost set by the time they arrived at the dungeon, both players exhausted and covered in sweat. Nemui fell onto his butt, eyes towards the sky. He was gulping in breath like a drunk with some whiskey. Bluebell stood with her hands on her knees, eyes closed as she wheezed.

"I.. Hate... You..." Nemui choked out, blond hair actually sticking to his forehead. Bluebell just laughed and gave him a little smile, standing up straight again.

"Yeah, I know you do. You get two minutes break," She told him, quickly opening up her inventory. She put on a brave face, but she was just as tired, if not more so. With a flew flicks of the wrist a glass bottle filled with water appeared in her hand, quickly disappearing down her throat. "Ahhh~! That's better!"

"Share!" Nemui shouted, or at least he attempted to. With a naturally quiet voice, Nemui's shout was a normal person's inside voice. It used to get him in trouble all the time back in school. Not that that mattered now though. School wasn't worth jack here.

"Fine, you whiny little baby. You should start carrying your own supplies," Bluebell scolded as she produced yet another bottle. She handed it to him, waiting as he gulped it down. Her foot was tapping.

"Ahh.. Now time for a nap~" Nemui smiled, falling onto his back and closing his eyes. Bluebell's eyebrow twitched and she quickly kicked him in the side, right around where his kidney should be.

"UP!"

After five minutes of writhing in pain and complaining about peeing blood, Nemui was up on his feet again. His eyes were narrowed at Bluebell, who was smiling innocently as they trotted along through the dungeon. It seemed like a good chunk of the monsters had been beaten. Vicky and Magnus were going to work. In truth, it actually scared the two rookies a bit. After all, Nemui was only level 10 and Bluebell was three higher. Both Vicky and Magnus had broken level 20.

"Do you think those two are doing okay by themselves?" Nemui asked, arms folded behind his head. As strong as they were, going to take on an entire floor wasn't exactly a bright idea. They promised not to fight the boss though, so that was something.

"Yeah, why wouldn't they be? They're two of the strongest players in the game right now, other than that Beater."

"Beater? What's that?"

"Are you serious? You don't even know that?" Bluebell complained, but she quickly let it go. It wasn't his fault he was a complete and total moron. "Look. A Beater is what people call a Beta Tester and a Cheater put together, see? It's cuz they abandoned us from the start. All they cared about was keeping themselves alive. They're assholes."

"Huh. But.. Aren't they just playing the game? I mean, everyone's trying to survive right? They're just doing it a different way than the rest of us." Nemui pointed out, closing one eye as he spoke.

"The main thing we should do is work together, not abandon the newbies to their doom. It doesn't work like that. They have information on the bosses that could help us. They should share it." Bluebell's eyes looked sad and faraway, like she wasn't actually there while they talked. Nemui just dropped the conversation there, listening to clip-clop of his boots hitting the stone floor.

"Wait a second." Bluebell's hand was suddenly in front of him, resting lightly on his chest. Nemui raised an eyebrow, shrugged and stood still. Bluebell's hand was dangling over her short sword, fingers twitching anxiously.

"Is something coming?" Nemui whispered. It sounded as if he had put himself on the volume just above mute. Bluebell's hearing was sharp enough to catch what he said though and she nodded.

As if on cue a roar shook the floor they stood on, dust falling from the ceiling. At the end of the hallway a door burst open, revealing a bear with pure black fur and blood red eyes. It was charging towards the two, seven-inch claws digging small trenches in the ground. Two health bars were floating next to the bear's head, though they were slightly obscured by the froth coming from its over sized mouth.

"What the hell is that?!" Nemui's hand was on his own sword now, the tiniest glimmer coming off of his cutlass. Bluebell just shook her head, snapped four knives off her belt and threw. A bright white light covered the knives before they hit their mark. All four of the bear's knee caps. Its legs gave out from the attack, causing the bear to start into a frontward roll. About a quarter of the first health bar dropped.

"Come on," Bluebell hissed, short sword already in hand. Nemui sighed and nodded, drawing his own sword as well. Bluebell charged the bear, who was now getting up and looked none too pleased about having its kneecaps stabbed. Once she was close enough Bluebell swung her sword, catching the underside of the bear's jaw, taking off another chunk of health.

With a snarl the bear's arm lashed out, making contact against Bluebell's midsection. She was flung through the air almost twenty feet, eyes wide with pain. She hit the ground and skidded another five until she stopped, fighting for breath. Her health bar was down about a fifth. Then the bear turned its attention to Nemui.

"Oh, great," Nemui griped, tightening his hold on his cutlass. He bent his knees slightly, staring at the bear. It stared back. Its knees coiled slightly before it sprang forward, heading for him at full speed. Nemui just held his ground, eyes slowly closing.

He inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled. Exhaled.

Listened for the bear's feet hitting the ground. Heard the dirt crunch beneath them, the shriek of its claws cutting into the floor. Ten metres. Five metres.

He could smell its breath. It was just in front of him.

The wind current changed. It was raising its arm, ready to strike. He had five seconds.

Nemui's eyes opened fully and he slashed, a bright orange light flowing from his blade. His head ducked just underneath the incoming claws, a few of his hairs flying off in the process. His sword slammed into the bear's lower abdomen and he dragged it upwards, slashing along the entire length of the creature's torso. He had to jump in order to reach the bear's full height, which was about nine feet. Before it had a chance to counter he turned in mid-air, the orange light being replaced with a blue this time. He sliced the bear from head to toe, leaving two long glowing lines along its body. One faint orange line reaching from around its left hip to its right shoulder and another stretching from the tip of its head right down to the space between its legs.

Its HP dropped to zero. With a mighty howl the bear erupted into floating shards, vanishing into the air. A screen appeared in front of Nemui giving him his stats from the fight. Since Bluebell had fought as well, they split the EXP. Still, it was 800 each and 400 Cor each. That was a pretty good haul. It was even enough for Nemui to finally hit level 11.

Along with that, the bear dropped some sort of item. Just a simple claw and some bear meat. Could probably be used for blacksmithing and cooking. Bluebell would appreciate the gifts.

Nemui walked over to her, holding his hand out to the still slightly shaken girl. "You alright?" Bluebell seemed to avoid looking at him for a moment before their eyes met. There was still some fear in hers. For all her bragging, she hated to fight.

She nodded and took his hand, letting him pull her up to her feet. She hadn't been hit too bad, but she seemed like the attack had stunned her. Weird, he had never seen an attack do something like that before, though it was a game. Anything was possible, really.

"W-we should find the others," Bluebell whispered, pulling her hand from Nemui's. He didn't even realize he'd still been holding it. Her skin was pretty cold.. She resembled winter in just about every way. Snow white hair, ice blue eyes and cold, pale skin. He couldn't believe that was how Bluebell actually looked. He himself was pretty average in comparison to her.

The two walked in silence for a while, and not the good kind of silence. It was awkward. Bluebell had let her hair down now, leaving it to cover her eyes. Nemui was already starting to fall asleep again, eyes drooping open and closed. Being practically brain dead was a plus minus situation. Plus, he could clear his head so he could keep his mind on a fight. Minus, he was so tired and so lazy all the damn time.

Thankfully, the dungeon wasn't too complicated. It was just a really long hallway. Nemui thought about making a Final Fantasy joke here, but it probably wouldn't have gone over well. He was learning.

As they drew closer and closer to the end of the hallway, they could hear the sound of metal hitting metal. Someone was fighting up ahead. It had to be the others. Had they challenged the boss when they promised not to?

"Come on!" Bluebell ordered, taking off into a sprint again, not even caring if she left Nemui behind. Nemui sighed, pretended to commit suicide with a pistol, and then ran after her. It didn't take much to keep up with her, seeing as his legs were much longer, so he could keep pace with her at a jog.

"Oh my God," Bluebell whispered, eyes widening as they ran. The boss doors were wide open, so there was nothing to muffle the bellowing howl of the creature inside. It was a much larger version of the bear from earlier, almost twelve feet tall, with an arm that seemed to be made completely of metal, a large spiked club in its grip. It stood on its hind legs, scars covering its entire body. Its non-metallic arm had nine inch claws that clanged against each other as it moved. This monster had five health bars instead of two and its name hung above its head in cryptic red letters. **The Lifetaker.**

Sure enough, standing in front of it were a hooded figure holding a seven foot axe in their hands, the blade on the end almost four feet across. Long, silky black hair was visible from the corners of the hood. Vicky. The other was dressed in full on black Viking gear with a red shield in one hand and a longsword with a skull on the end of the handle in the other. His helmet was the only thing that didn't really fit with the rest of his outfit. It looked like it had been pulled straight out of Asterix and Obelisk. It was small, silver and had two wings coming off the sides. Greying facial hair was visible as well, looking like a forest on his face. Magnus.

"Vicky, Magnus!" Bluebell called out, rushing to meet them, short sword drawn. Nemui stood next to Magnus, cutlass in hand.

"You two took your sweet ass time," Vicky seethed, piercing emerald eyes digging straight into their souls. Bluebell shivered. Nemui shrugged.

"I thought you two weren't gonna challenge this thing."

"We can handle it," Magnus countered, glaring at the much younger boy. Nemui shrugged again, all four of them turning their attention to Lifetaker as it roared, smashing its club against the floor.

"And here we... Go."


	2. Chapter 2

**December 3rd, 2022.  
**

_Sure enough, standing in front of it were a hooded figure holding a seven foot axe in their hands, the blade on the end almost four feet across. Long, silky black hair was visible from the corners of the hood. Vicky. The other was dressed in full on black Viking gear with a red shield in one hand and a longsword with a skull on the end of the handle in the other. His helmet was the only thing that didn't really fit with the rest of his outfit. It looked like it had been pulled straight out of Asterix and Obelisk. It was small, silver and had two wings coming off the sides. Greying facial hair was visible as well, looking like a forest on his face. Magnus._

_"Vicky, Magnus!" Bluebell called out, rushing to meet them, short sword drawn. Nemui stood next to Magnus, cutlass in hand._

_"You two took your sweet ass time," Vicky seethed, piercing emerald eyes digging straight into their souls. Bluebell shivered. Nemui shrugged._

_"I thought you two weren't gonna challenge this thing."_

_"We can handle it," Magnus countered, glaring at the much younger boy. Nemui shrugged again, all four of them turning their attention to Lifetaker as it roared, smashing its club against the floor._

_"And here we... Go."_

* * *

"Bluebell, take out its feet! Magnus, the back!" Vicky barked, keeping a tight grip on her axe. Bluebell charged forward, short sword creating a long trail of white light as Magnus ran in the opposite direction. They circled the Lifetaker from both sides, keeping low to the ground, noses almost touching. The huge creature's eyes tried to follow both of them, but obviously it could only choose one. So it focused on Magnus, even as Bluebell slashed along its right calf.

With a terrifying crunch its club slammed into his torso, moving at a speed almost impossible to see. Magnus didn't even realize he had been hit until he was ten feet in the air, health bar dropping almost forty percent. Lifetaker's club raised for the finishing blow, plummeting straight down towards the elderly man.

Until Vicky got in the way. The head of her massive axe beat the club to the side with ease. Her hood fell from around her head, revealing the full length of her hair. She spun in the air like a top, driving the flat end of her blade across the boss' face. "Back OFF!"

Nemui ran forward, catching Magnus in his arms before he managed to hit the ground. Best to avoid any kind of damage in this situation, even if it was just fall damage. Magnus grunted in slight pain, giving Nemui a grateful nod. You couldn't ask for more out of that man.

"Nemui, help!" Vicky shouted, smashing away another one of the boss' strikes. Her attack had only knocked about an eight of its first health bar down. This was not going to be an easy fight. Nemui nodded and rushed forward, brandishing his sword. The only time he ever got serious about a fight was a boss battle. He couldn't afford to screw around in one of these.

"Boost!" He shouted, jumping up into the air. He and Vicky had practiced this combo plenty of times. The black-haired girl spun away from Lifetaker and held the flat end of her axe out to Nemui. As soon as his feet landed on it she propelled him at a diagonal, straight for the demonic bear's head. His sword erupted in a blue light as he slashed along Lifetaker's shoulder blade, earning a painful howl.

He wasn't expecting the metallic fist to crack across the side of his face. Without him noticing, Lifetaker had dropped its club and taken a more direct approach. _Damn, _he thought to himself, having a second before the pain would register.

Then that second was over. He shot backwards and into a nearby wall, head snapping backwards. Part of the wall gave way behind him, bricks and dust falling to the floor, but he didn't break all the way through. He fell to the floor, head swimming. His vision was blurry as he tried to turn his attention back to the fight, but the only thing he could see was the green line diminishing in the corner of his eye. His HP bar dropped and dropped until it was only about ten percent, now a dangerous looking red.

Meanwhile, Vicky was doing a pretty good job of holding her own against Lifetaker. The boss had picked its weapon up again, attacking with a vengeance, but he just couldn't touch the tall axe-wielder. She blocked every attack, countered every strike, dodged every sucker punch and struck when she had the opening. While her health stayed at full, Lifetaker's had slowly but surely dropped to three health bars.

"Back me up!" She shouted, bending backwards under one of Lifetaker's strikes. The spikes just barely grazed the tip of her nose, taking off the tiniest chunk of HP. Magnus rushed forward, his shield glowing a bright gold instead of his sword. He dived for Lifetaker's stomach, smashing into it like a torpedo. The boss bent over as its HP dropped again, straight into Bluebell's sword. Her blade caught it in the chin, knocking off a huge chunk of its health.

"Gotta love criticals!" Vicky shouted, rushing forward to finish it off. Her axe head burst into a blood red light, creating a long stream as she swung it in an arc. It slashed right across Lifetaker's stomach, creating a large trench along the entire length. Dust exploded outwards as Vicky spun, following up her attack a jab of the axe's blunt end to the boss' chest. It stumbled backwards, howling and snarling with anger. By the time their combo had finished, its last health bar was in red.

And that was when the world went crazy.

Steam suddenly erupted from all the joints on Lifetaker's metallic arms, followed by the sounds of gears whirring. Its eyes charged from the normal red to a dark black, almost blending in with its fur. It tossed its club into its regular hand, clenching tight around it. Its feet dug into the ground before it suddenly appeared in front of Vicky, fist wedging itself into her stomach.

Vicky's eyes widened as she rocketed backwards, health bar dropping all the while. She landed almost fifty feet away, outside of the boss' room, in a crumpled up heap. Her health was even lower than Nemui's now.

"Victaatra!" Magnus shouted, using her real name for the first time in over a month. He ran forward to help her, sliding right between Lifetaker's feet as Bluebell went the other way, towards Nemui. Lifetaker just stood there, not moving a muscle to stop either of them. It was practically a statue.

Until Magnus stepped outside. Then it turned to the door, slamming it shut as soon as he was gone. Bluebell and Nemui were in there alone with it.

"Are you okay?" She asked, not even realizing what had happened yet. Her arm was on Nemui's, lifting him up and off the floor. He nodded, thankful he had equipped the life regeneration skill when the game gave him the chance. Out of his 600 HP, he restored 50 every five seconds. He was almost at half health again now.

"Doing better. Get down!" He shouted, yanking her forward just as Lifetaker's club came around. It whizzed through the air, causing a draft that blew Bluebell's hair from its pony-tail, letting it drape around her head. Nemui was up on his feet, sword drawn, eyes focused. Bluebell was kneeling on the floor behind him, staring at the ground through her snowy hair. Her hands were trembling, gripping the floor tightly. She almost died. Again.

"Bluebell! Nemui!" Bluebell turned quickly at the sound of Vicky's voice, followed by pounding against the stone door. The sound echoed through the room and Bluebell's body. She flinched with each knock, breath speeding up. They weren't.. Alone, were they? Scanning the room, she saw no one but Nemui and Lifetaker duking it out about ten feet from her. Nemui was completely on the defensive, parrying and ducking every which way. He wasn't fast enough though. His health was slowly dwindling down.

They were going to die. They couldn't fight a boss all on their own. Especially not like this. From the looks of things, this boss had activated some sort of ability to keep the door sealed. Magnus and Vicky banging against it was proof of that. They were stuck.

All that ran through Bluebell's mind, tears starting to form in her eyes. She hadn't been expected to be put in a situation this terrifying. If only the others hadn't challenged this thing! They could have just mapped out the area and gone home, but NO! She knew exactly what had happened. Vicky was over-confident and thought they were tough enough to take it. News flash, they weren't all level 24 like her! Bluebell and Nemui hadn't even broken 15 yet!

If only _he _was there. Then they would be safe. This boss wouldn't stand a chance. But no, she was stuck with Nemui. NEMUI! This was it. They were going to die after only two months. This sucked. This sucked. She wanted to be free. She wanted to make it out of this game alive and see her mom and sister again. She was just kidding herself. There was no way to get out of here.

"Don't worry." His voice shook her again, snapping her attention right to him. Nemui stood before her, panting hard, body drenched in sweat. One eye was closed in pain as his health hung precariously in the orange region, just above red. Lifetaker's health bar had barely budged a centimetre. He wasn't even shaking though. In fact, she thought she could even see a smile on his face. "I'll protect you. Besides, Vicky will kill me if I let you die."

"Idiot.. Don't act like you're some sort of hero!" She shouted, her voice cracking mid sentence. She couldn't help it anymore. The tears poured over, streaming like rivers down her cheeks. She hiccuped and sobbed, trying to wipe her eyes. Why did him simply saying that make her feel better? She couldn't be happy to have him watching out for her, could she? "You'll just get killed if you keep fighting that thing!"

"Yeah. Maybe. But I can buy you time to teleport out." Bluebell stared as Nemui rushed forward, roaring a mighty battle cry. His sword erupted into a bright green light as he ran, heading straight for Lifetaker's glowing blue club. Their two attacks clashed, sending sparks flying from in between. They hit at almost the exact same angle so they repelled, knocking each other off balance.

They met again and again, thought this time it was always Nemui on the offensive. If he kept on attacking, he was sure to find an opening. That was Vicky's normal strategy. It should work for him too. Besides, the more he attacked, the more his health would regenerate. The best defense was a good offense. Besides, he wasn't even going for the win. He just wanted to make sure Bluebell could get out.

Then he saw it. Lifetaker swung its fist from the right in a wide arc. A slight ping noise came from its shoulder, causing a hitch in its shoulder. Lifetaker hesitated for only a second.

That was all he needed. Nemui shot forward, screaming as he slashed upwards, his bright green sword cleaving straight through the joint. Lifetaker didn't even realize what had happened until its arm crashed to the floor, sparking and whirring before shattering. Its HP dropped again, only an inch away from hitting zero as Nemui turned in mid air. The boss howled, swinging its club right at Nemui, hitting him full on in the side. Nemui gasped but pressed on, digging the spikes further into his body.

"And DIE!" He slashed backwards with his sword, cutting a purple line across Lifetaker's neck. There was a look of shock on the boss' face that could even be described as funny. Its tongue lolled out to one side of its mouth as the head slowly slipped from its perch. It bounced and rolled on the ground for a few feet, stopping at a weird angle. Then both head and body exploded, flying upwards towards the ceiling.

Nemui dropped to the floor, gasping for air, one hand on his side. His eyes were clenched tight in pain, almost afraid to look at his HP bar. Bluebell ran over, still crying just as hard from before, calling his name. The large **CONGRATULATIONS! **appeared in mid-air, followed by the phrase **RARE DROP UNLOCKED**.

"Nemui! Nemui, please be okay!" Bluebell shouted, skidding to a stop by his side. The door swung open as Vicky and Magnus ran in, weapons still drawn. Then they froze, staring at the huge banner floating before them.

"You beat it..?" Vicky asked, voice full of disbelief. Nemui nodded, gave her a thumbs up, and slowly began to sit up. He gasped out in pain again, finally deciding to check his HP bar.

He was three percent from dead. His eyes widened, blood turning to ice in his veins. He had been THAT close? Holy crap. Vicky laughed a bit, giving him a clap on the back. "Good job kid. Next time though, don't steal my glory."

"Got it." He smirked back, reaching over to the rare drop screen. He tapped a few buttons, tilting his head at what was in front of him. A weapon?

**THE EATER OF SOULS.**

"Sweet." Nemui clicked on it, the cutlass at his side replaced with a new one. The hilt was a blood red, leading straight up to chrome blade. A series of runes was carved into the steel, glowing with a soft red light. Along the base of the blade was what appeared to be teeth, almost like a chainsaw, stretching along the entire length. "Holy.."

"That thing looks awesome!" Vicky commented, dropping down next to him, a look of envy in her eyes. "Now I really wish I had killed that thing. You think I would have gotten an axe that looks like that?" She asked Magnus, pointing at Nemui's new sword. Magnus just shrugged. "Well, thanks Tips."

As the four sat there, reveling in their victory, none of them noticed a man watching them. He wheeled on his heels, the heads of his triple-flail bouncing off of each other as he walked away.

"Nemui, huh? He'll be a fun target.. The first one worth killing."


	3. Chapter 3

**December 24th, 2022.**

"Bluebell!" Magnus roared, holding up a gargantuan box, tinsel hanging out the side. Bluebell jumped down from her perch on the higher level, landing on the silk rug of the guild house. She stumbled a bit but kept her balance, skipping over to the elderly man. She placed her hands under the box, holding it up from the other side. "Thank you, my dear."

"No problem!" She smiled, leading him over to the Christmas tree. Tomorrow was the big day. Their first Christmas in SAO. Magnus was determined to make the even a success, so he had every body running around decorating the house. Except for one person, of course.

"Is Nemui still asleep?" Magnus asked, placing the box on the ground. He opened the lid up, smiling at everything that was inside. The entire group was hoarding anything remotely Christmas-y to use to decorate the house. Bluebell sighed and nodded, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. She had adopted the hair down look ever since their fight with the Lifetaker, finding it much more cute.

Magnus' eyes narrowed a bit and he turned, bellowing loud enough to shake the iron chandelier, "HANA!"

"C-coming!" A girl squeaked from another room, rushing in. Her blue hair bounced up and down as she walked, clutching a stuffed Rudolph to her chest. She slipped on the only part of the floor that wasn't covered in rug, eyes widening as she hit the ground. She rolled a few feet and face-planted Magnus' bookcase, falling back with a stunned look on her petite features. "O-ow.."

Magnus sighed, placing his fingers against his forehead before letting it go. "Look. Can you go wake up Nemui for us? He has to help out."

"S-sure," Hana whispered, innocent purple eyes looking all around the room except for Magnus. She stood up, brushed herself off nervously, and shuffled towards Nemui's room. With the basic layout of the guild house, there were four rooms downstairs and six upstairs. The first floor consisted of the main living area, which was absolutely covered with clutter. Then, to the left of the entrance, was Nemui's room. He was the third to join the guild that Magnus and Vicky had started, so he got the third room downstairs. The middle room was Vicky's and the one to the right was Magnus'.

Hana hesitated before knocking gently on Nemui's door, definitely not enough to wake him. She couldn't help it. She hated making noise and being loud, but when Magnus was angry.. You didn't argue with him.

"N-Nemui?" She whispered, as if afraid of her own voice. Her finger twirled her elbow length hair nervously, the other gripping her side. Would Nemui get mad at being woken up? No, he wasn't like that. Nemui was nice. She liked talking to Nemui. Both of them hated being the centre of attention.

There was no answer, so Hana opened the door up slowly, peeking inside. "Nemui?" She repeated, giving a quick glance over his room. He had opted for the most basic set up. A desk. Chair. Bookshelf with a few books, but instead of a bed, he had put in a hammock. When Vicky asked why, he just said it was comfier and more fun to sleep in.

Sure enough, his arm was drooped over the side, blond hair wafting back and forth with the draft. Hana stifled a giggle as she walked over, gingerly poking his side through the soft leather material. No reaction. Hana sighed softly, rubbing the top of her head. Now what?

She looked at his sleeping figure, leaning over curiously. Nemui may have slept a lot, but he wasn't an ugly sleepy. His mouth didn't hang open like a canyon and he didn't snore loud enough to cause earthquakes. He was just.. Peaceful. His chest rose and fell in a simple rhythm, eyes barely shifting behind the lids. She wanted to just leave him there in peace, but if she did, Magnus would get even more angry.

So she pinched his nose shut. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

Once she counted to twenty he snorted and sat up so fast that Hana jumped backwards, letting out a quiet yelp. Her eyes widened, hair all a screw. Nemui just turned slowly, looking at her with half-closed lids and smacking lips.

"M-morning!" She stammered, trying to be chipper. Nemui rubbed his eyes, yawning loud, mouth stretching like a mountain lion's.

"What's up?" He slung his legs over the side of the hammock, almost falling out, but he gripped the ropes that held it up to keep himself steady.

"Magnus told me to wake you up. He wants help with decorating," Hana answered in the same quiet voice. Nemui was the only one who ever heard her word for word, instead of having to guess the things she said.

"Decorating for what?" He mumbled, dropping himself to the floor with a thump.

"Christmas? Nemui, it's Christmas Eve, remember?" Hana frowned, folding her arms across her chest.

"Huh? Oh. Right. Forgot," He opened his equipment screen, fumbling through choices before going with his standard look. Hana turned right as his pajamas disappeared, her face darkening to a deep pink.

"I a-asked you to stop changing in front of me!" She sputtered, heading for the door in a hurry. Nemui shrugged and followed her, scratching his butt all the while. Not delicate at all.

Bluebell was up on a ladder when they came out, lacing tinsel all over the branches of the tree. Magnus was busy putting up the regular decorations, such as baubles, glass Santas and lights. He turned his attention to Nemui as soon as the door opened though.

"There you are!" He roared, stomping over to the two. Hana flinched and instinctively hid behind Nemui, eyes staring at the ground, tiny fingers gripping his sleeve.

"Here I am." Nemui responded sleepily, not fazed by the out burst at all. He was used to Magnus being loud.

"What do you think you were doing in there?!"

"Sleeping. You just woke me up." In truth, that really was the right answer. It just wasn't the answer Magnus wanted to hear. It was visible through the bulging vein in his forehead and the sound of his teeth grinding together.

Before he had the chance to explode and level the entire building, a boy with spiky brown hair slapped a Christmas hat on him. "Don't look so glum, chum!"

"Yosuke.." Magnus began, but quickly stopped himself. During their time in the guild together, he had learned not to argue with Yosuke. It just turned into a massive headache. It was like talking to a wall. A wall with an opinion. "Look, Nemui, if you're not going to do anything around here, can you handle some shopping? We need more tinsel."

"Yeah, I can do that." Nemui answered, holding his hand out. Magnus just rolled his eyes, opened a screen, pressed a few buttons and a whopping 5,000 Cor appeared in Nemui's inventory. For a level 13, that was a decent amount of money. "Be back soon-ish!" And he was out the door.

The world outside was quite.. Crazy. Everyone was in the Christmas mood. People were wandering around in Christmas themed outfits, some had managed to find instruments and had decided to start playing their own tunes, and there was even snow. Guess Akihito wanted to make this game as real as possible for all the people trapped in this hell hole.

Walking along, Nemui thought about what must have been going on back in the real world. His parents were probably setting up their tree with his brothers and sisters, while he just laid in his room, lifeless. The whole thought was depressing. Though, that was why he got into games in the first place. To get away from everything. Maybe this was his just desserts. Maybe he had asked for this.

If, no, when he got out of here.. He was going to treat his family like they mattered. Like they weren't just people who lived with him. Family was family and he had to keep them close to him. It explained why, even though he was lazy as all holy hell, he hadn't left the guild yet. They accepted him and welcomed him in. They didn't shun him for being a gamer, because they were all the same. Each had their own reasons for gaming, but they were all gamers. The guild was a family too, in a way.

Before he even realized it, he was standing in front of the general store. This was where they sold just about everything. They were even decorated like a Christmas shop. Santa and his reindeers had been constructed on the roof, illuminated by alternating red and green lights. It was all very pretty to look at.

Wandering inside, Nemui walked right up to the tinsel aisle. Why had Magnus given him five grand for just tinsel? Could he spend the rest on whatever he wanted? No, Magnus wasn't that nice. Wait. He was supposed to buy a gift for someone. Bluebell. Right, she was his secret Santa! The only reason Magnus knew is he rigged it that way.

Nemui grabbed the nicest looking tinsel off the shelf, some silver and red, paying for it quickly. Right. That only cost.. 600 Cor. Now he had over 4000 to spend on Bluebell. But what would he buy her?

Nemui stood outside the store, rubbing his chin gently. What could he get her? What, what, what? It only took about five minutes for his brain to start frying, but as soon as it did, he was scratching his head in anger.

How was he supposed to know what to buy for a girl?! This was so frustrating!

Maybe if he just trotted along the streets long enough, he would find something good to buy. Yeah, that would work. Hopefully. It was the best plan he could come up with, so he set off.

He didn't pay much attention as he walked, so he didn't notice the ruckus that was happening a few stores down. A blond, curvaceous girl stood against the wall of a store, three guys around her. Her eyes were closed and she was clearly irritated, but it was no wonder she attracted these guys. Her skirt stopped a good three inches above her knees, the rest of her legs covered by candy cane stockings, and her white shirt only reached half way up her breasts. She was wearing a scarf over her shoulders, but that was probably only because it was cold outside.

"Come on, we can have a fun time," One of the guys proposed, reaching out to touch her arm. The girl's eyes opened to reveal blazing blue irises, smacking his hand away from her without much effort.

"I'd rather have fun with a boar than you," She countered, earning some very angry glares from all three men. Then she caught sight of Nemui. _Oh, he's slightly cute! Now I can get out of this mess._"Oh daaaaaarling~!"

She pushed passed the boys blocking her way, heading straight for Nemui. They all stared as she ran up to him, a very confused look on his face. He was only JUST starting to pay attention when she latched onto his arm, placing a kiss so close to his lips he nearly had a heart attack.

"Tch. Lets go," One of the boys said, holding his stinging hand. The girl was nuzzling up to Nemui, whose face was one of bewilderment and utter embarrassment, sticking her tongue out as soon as they couldn't see them any more.

"Thanks for the save!" She grinned, letting go of his arm quickly. She spun on her heels, letting her knee length hair flow behind her. Nemui just stared, brain still trying to process what had just happened.

"N-no problem?" He mumbled, finally finding the grey matter to move his lips. The girl giggled at the look on his face, poking one of his cheeks playfully.

"All you cherry boys are so cute."

"Ch-cherry boy?!" He snapped back, trying to fight off the growing blush on his face. Who the hell was this girl?!

"Uh huh! Only a virgin would get as flustered as you just did. Anyways, my name's Kali! How bout you?" She asked, folding both hands behind her back, pronouncing her chest ever so slightly. Maybe it was an unconscious movement, maybe not, but it did catch Nemui's attention.

"Nara... Nemui! My name is Nemui!" He corrected himself, eyes widening. He had almost just blurted out his real name to a complete and total stranger. No one in the guild even knew his real name! What the hell was he thinking? Stupid, stupid Nemui! "Look, it was nice to meet you, but I got some shopping I have t-"

He was suddenly cut off by Kali appearing less than an inch from his face, hands clasping his in a tight grip. "Oh, shopping! I love shopping! I'll come with you! Besides, you need help don't you?"

"Wh-what?! What makes you say that?"

"Cuz you're a cherry boy and you've got it written all over your face. Now come on, who you shopping for?" Nemui twitched a bit before hanging his head in defeat. There was no way he was going to talk her out of the whole cherry boy thing.

"A girl in my guild.."

"Oh, a girl? Lemme guess. One sided love?"

"No, that's not it at all! It's a secret Santa sorta deal.."

"Well, that's boring. No matter, we'll find a present that'll knock her socks off!" Kali shouted, yanking Nemui down the street without fair warning. Did all girls do this?!

Nemui spent the next hour being dragged through fashion boutique after jewellery store after cake shop. There were so many different things you could buy girls for Christmas! What the hell was he supposed to do with that?! How could he pick one?! He didn't even know Bluebell well enough to pick out the quote, "perfect gift".

"Oh, this is cute!" Kali exclaimed, holding up a white shirt with a lacey back. Nemui thought off the reaction he would get from Bluebell, then quickly put the shirt back. Self-preservation was important in this game.

Then he saw it. A simple necklace in a silver casing. The chain on it was made of loops of pure silver, leading up to a-.. Well, a blue bell. Not the flower. An actual blue bell. Just a simple blue bell. For some reason, he thought it was perfect. Definitely the kind of thing he wanted to buy her.

"This please!" He told the shopkeeper, pointing to it. Kali blinked, surprised, then smiled when she saw what he was buying. Such a cherry boy. But also very sweet.

Once the gift was in his inventory, Nemui sat there with 300 Cor left over. That was an expensive necklace. Oh well, she wasn't going to complain about it. Kali sat next to him, swinging her legs back and forth with a happy smile on her face.

"So, Nemui. You part of a guild or something?" She asked, leaning forward ever so slightly.

"Uh huh. I'm part of the PK Killers."

"Wait.. The group that took on the second floor boss by themselves?"

"That's the one."

"Wait.. Are you the one who beat the boss?!" Kali was suddenly very interested, leaning over Nemui with a hand on his chest. The lazy boy's eyes were wide open, propping himself up on his elbows, trying to keep his gaze from shifting downwards.

"Y-yeah, I am."

"Holy crap, you're famous!" She squealed, leaning even closer, pressing her chest to his midsection. Nemui took a nervous gulp, looking away from her as quickly as he could. How was this fair?! She was almost straddling him now, practically sitting in his lap.

"F-famous?"

"Yeah, everyone's heard about what you did! Fighting a boss all by yourself to save a girl? And then you BEAT it? It's awesome!" Kali shouted, starting to attract attention now. A crowd was gathering, mumbling about the two of them. The word perverted came up a number of times.

"I-I guess so. I need to get back to my guild, so.." He began, slipping out from underneath. Kali's face dropped into a very obvious pout, then snapped her fingers. Upon clicking a few buttons, a screen appeared in front of Nemui.

**KALI WISHES TO ADD YOU TO HER FRIENDS LIST.**

**O-YES X-NO**

Nemui laughed and hit the yes option, waving to her. "It was fun Kali. Thanks for today."

"You better hang out with me again cherry boy!" She winked, standing up and kissing him on the cheek again, just a soft peck, but it was enough to turn Nemui into a blithering idiot again. She giggled at the expression on his face then skipped off, leaving him to walk back alone.

Nemui began walking back to the house, touching the spot on his cheek where her lips had touched. She was really weird and didn't quite get the meaning of personal space, but she seemed nice enough. Maybe dealing with people wasn't so bad.

Upon arriving, Nemui could hear the sounds of shouting and scuffling inside. He instantly kicked into battle gear, throwing open the front door with a bang.

Yosuke shot out the open doorway, Nemui barely moving to the side in time. The spiky haired boy hit the snowy street, sliding like a penguin for almost thirty feet before stopping, legs straight up in the air.

"What the hell?" Nemui whispered, turning to see.. Christmas Vicky. She stood in the centre of the room with one hand over her A-cup chest, the other pointing towards Yosuke. Her Santa dress reached down past her knees, but she wasn't so lucky with the upper half. The entire thing had been dyed black, including the hat, leaving her sans cloak. Her skin was so insanely pale she probably would have blended in with the winter outside, but all her piercings would definitely give her away. There was a healthy mix of hook and spear piercings in her eyebrows and cartlidges, along with two snake bites in her lower lip. Her face was twisted in anger, shouting something about Yosuke being a massive pervert.

Nemui just laughed and stepped inside, waving hello to everybody. He sent the tinsel over to Magnus, who thanked him quickly. He walked over to Hana, handing her a small hot chocolate he had spent the last of the money on, playing with her hair a bit. Then he walked over to Bluebell.

"Look, since we both know I'm probably gonna spend most of tomorrow sleeping.. Here." He sent the necklace, gift wrapped and all, into her inventory. "Just don't open it until tomorrow, okay?"

"S-sure," Bluebell answered, a small smile playing on her lips. "Then I'll make sure to wake you up after I open it and give you yours."

"Sounds good to me."


	4. Chapter 4

**April 7th, 2023**

"A request?" Nemui asked, mouth half full of food. He sat at the main table with Yosuke, Hana, and Bluebell, taking a break from doing house work to eat. Vicky nodded and placed a paper down on the table, pointing to it.

"On floor 28, there's been a total of fifty four deaths around the South Forest. We've also heard reports that Laughing Coffin was operating in that general area. Put two and two together, Laughing Coffin's been going on a rampage." Vicky explained, pulling up her own seat. Nemui swallowed the food in his mouth, wiping his lip. Fifty four? God, it made him sick. He pushed the rest of his food to the side.

"So someone wants us to check it out?" Bluebell asked, using her napkin to clean her hands. "Who left the request?"

"Yep. I'm not sending the whole guild though, that would be a waste. And I've got no idea. There was no signature."

"Let me go!" Yosuke shouted out, hand raised as high as he could. "I haven't been on a mission in months! I need to get out there, kick some PKer butt!"

"Don't worry Yosu, I was planning on sending you anyway. Hana, Nemui, you're going to go with him." Vicky picked up a glass and began drinking out of it, not caring whose it was. It was Nemui's, of course.

"U-Um, Vicky? C-could you maybe send someone else?" Hana asked, voice shaking. She hated having to leave the guild house for just about anything. She was more of a stay at home girl.

"No can do. I need Bluebell and Magnus to come with me for another job. You guys'll have to handle this one. You're all over level 20 now, so you shouldn't have too much trouble." Vicky countered and that was the end of that conversation. There was no real way to argue with her. She was the leader of the PK Killers and her word was law.

In fifteen minutes, they were all suiting up and getting ready to leave. Nemui hadn't switched his blades since he picked up The Eater Of Souls off the second floor boss. Even now, it was a good weapon. It even had a life draining ability. Appearance wise, he had adopted a blue cloak though, like Vicky's, the hood of which he pulled over his head. His shirt now had an iron guard over it and similar guards over his legs. He was starting to look like a proper swordsman.

Hana dressed herself in a similar outfit to Bluebell's. A dress with guards over her torso and legs, except for the colour. While Bluebell's outfit was white, Hana went with a reddish-orange colour. The type of colour the sky would turn in a sunset. She fiddled with her knee-length boots, fingers shaking over each clasp. She pushed a matching headband into her hair, to keep her bangs out of hers eyes. She quickly slipped a cloak over her shoulders, flipping the red hood above her head. The cloaks were a standard for the guild now. Finally, she finished off with her two-handed hammer on her back named Bone Grinder.

Yosuke's outfit was much more simple. He opted for a bright yellow shirt, defended by an iron chest guard and arm guards. His pants were a simple black, reinforced with guards as well. He had attached his trident to his back, adequately named Neptune's Scourge. He wore open toed sandals and pulled a similar cloak on, just a plain old brown. They were definitely ready.

"Seeing as Nemui's over taken both of us in levels, I vote he should be the leader!" Yosuke shouted, patting Nemui roughly on the back. The impact almost threw him face first into the ground.

"Huh?"

"Come on, you're level 25 now! Hana and I are only 22. Logic dictates that you captain us. So, captain!" Yosuke grinned, Hana agreeing with a shy nod. Nemui wanted to argue, but just shrugged. There was no point in disagreeing with them.

"Alright, lets go," Nemui said, starting to walk on ahead. The other two followed close behind, Hana on his left, Yosuke on his right. People watched them from the streets, either looking impressed or afraid. The guild had a reputation for being pretty brutal, but that was mainly because of Vicky.

"You really think we're dealing with a group of PKers?" Yosuke asked, turning to look at Hana.

"Probably. The deaths all spiked recently, so it's the most logical solution, right?"

"Yeah, but usually the most logical isn't the correct one."

"So what are you saying then?"

"Just that we should be ready for anything. Right, Nemui?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Nemui said, having barely been paying attention to their conversation. He was already starting to think about how nice a nap would be. Yosuke scowled, running up and punching Nemui gently in the arm.

"Come on man, you're the leader. You gotta pay attention!"

"You're the one who told me to lead."

"Well, yeah. But that doesn't mean anything! You're still the leader, so hush!"

"Whatever," Nemui mumbled, pulling his hood a little further past his eyes. Ever since that business with Lifetaker, too many people had been paying attention to him. It was like everyone was expecting him to do something fantastic. His victory over Lifetaker had been a fluke, that was it. He wasn't some godsend. He was just a player.

"And here we are!" Yosuke shouted, jumping onto the teleport platform. Nemui and Hana followed, walking up the steps normally.

"Transport. Wolf Plains," Nemui said, staring up at the sky. In a bright blue flash, they were now standing in a field stretching as far as the eye could see. The grass rolled like green waves in the wind, leaves rustling on the trees. The sun beat down on the three players, but it wasn't overly hot. The breeze made sure of that. All and all, it was a nice feeling.

"Right, so the South Forest shouldn't be too far from here. Maybe an hour's travel." Nemui explained, opening up a map for them all to see. He tapped towards the middle of a large shrubbery shown to the south of them. "This is where most of the deaths are said to happen. That's where we've got to go."

"I knew being a leader would suit you well," Yosuke grinned, throwing an arm around Nemui's shoulders.

"Off," Nemui frowned, slipping himself out of Yosuke's grip, much to the brown haired boy's displeasure.

"So mean!"

"U-Um, Nemui? What are we gonna do if it is a group of PKers?" Hana asked, gently gripping his cloak between her fingers. She hated the idea of having to fight. Everytime she did she was terrified.

"Then we'll do what our guild is known for."

"But none of us have ever actually killed a PKer, other than Vicky, Bluebell and Magnus!" Hana argued, keeping her eyes to the ground.

"Yeah, I know. But we've got to stop them. It's scary, but it has to be done.. Okay?" Nemui whispered, placing a hand on top of Hana's head gently. "Besides. With Yosuke and I here, nothing's going to happen to you." He reassured her, smiling a warm smile.

"Okay," She whispered, releasing her grip on him. The three took off without another word, making their way towards the area in question. Yosuke tried quite a few times to get a conversation going, but each time he was shut down. Hana and Nemui were trying to keep themselves from turning tail and running.

Sure enough, it only took them an hour to reach the South Forest. The trees had lost all colour they had ever hoped to have, black branches reaching out like the hands of hell. Hana stepped closer to Nemui as they made their way down the dirt path, dead leaves and twigs crunching under their feet. There were no flowers to smell, no cicadas buzzing in the trees. It was a forest of the dead.

"If Laughing Coffin was going to target people, it would definitely be here," Yosuke whispered, fingers wrapping a vice grip around his trident. Nemui and Hana had both drawn their weapons as well, keeping a watchful eye.

They came from above.

Twelve huge mounds of black fur dropped all around them, hitting the ground with dull thuds. The three players jumped into a triangle formation, back to back to back. The mounds stood up slowly, stretching out long muscled arms and legs. They reared their heads back, gleaming white eyes staring at their new meal from down their muzzle, showing off blood stained teeth.

Each one took a turn howling, a deep guttural sound that became more high pitched over its course. Long, red claws stretched from their fingers, the air whistling as it passed over them. Hana tried to push herself further back, but there was no where to go. The three were all stuck in a ring of death.

"Wolf-men." Nemui couldn't believe it. Twelve of them, an entire pack, had managed to surround them. The chances of surviving something like this were low, to say the least. He didn't waver though. He kept a tight grip on The Eater of Souls, watching the four closest to him. Three against twelve. They had to fight four each.

About fifty feet from them, sitting with his back against the trunk of a nearby tree, was a man. He was completely concealed by a black cloak, blending into the world around him. His weapon rested on the floor next to him, the tree flail heads looking as menacing as ever. It had taken a lot of time to set this up. He had to wait for Nemui to get strong enough to be given missions on his own. Then, all he had to do was find a pack of wolf-men and lead them here. In time, people would start dying off, and he would spread rumours of Laughing Coffin taking up refuge in this neck of the woods.

"Now, boy, let's see what you've got." He whispered, crunching down on an apple. He had his feet rested up on a long, ready to enjoy the show.

The first wolf-man struck at Hana, slashing with outstretched hands. Hana threw her hammer up, blocking both attacks with the handle, but the impact pushed her onto her back. Yosuke stepped forward and thrust at the lycan's throat, but it was too quick. It jumped up and into the branches above, vanishing. "Dammit!"

"Keep calm!" Nemui shouted, helping Hana back to her feet. As soon as he turned his back, a wolf-man jumped, howling at the prospect of fresh meat. Nemui twisted and cracked his elbow against its muzzle, following up with a slash to the torso. The wolf-man howled and jumped back, then up into the trees.

The process repeated, the wolf-men all attacking one by one, then disappearing up above. Soon enough, the three were all alone, trying to see where the next attack would come from.

"We should get out of here. We can't handle twelve at o-" Yosuke never finished his sentence. One of the wolf-men shot down from above, smashing him face first into the floor. Yosuke screamed out, trying to turn over to stab at the monster, but it was too heavy.

"Get off him!" Nemui screamed, running forward, but another one of the beasts came from the nearby bush. It barelled into him at top speed, knocking him a good ten feet and onto his back. Hana smashed a glowing red axe down onto its neck, managing to hit a sweet spot. The wolf-men howled and dropped, shimmering for a second before exploding.

"Yosuke!" Hana shouted, rushing towards him. The wolf-man on top of him snarled, dug its fangs into his heel, and dragged him back into the foliage. Yosuke grabbed at the dirt, arms flailing as he tried to save himself, but there was nothing to hold on to. He disappeared into the bush and the feast began.

The sounds of the wolves tearing into him was sickening, but what made it worse was the screams that could be heard over the bone snapping and flesh tearing. Nemui sat there, staring, disbelieving.

As if to reinforce their point, two of the wolf-men appeared from the same bush, blocking the way. Hana backed off a bit and Nemui forced himself back to his feet. He had to get him. Save him.

"Kill them!" Nemui roared, sprinting forward. His cutlass burst into a blazing green light and he smashed it into the first wolf-man's torso, right around where his ribs should be. He sliced straight through but didn't let up, spinning and following up with three more slashes to its stomach. It vanished into diamonds with a howl, but the second grabbed Nemui around the throat, heaving him into a nearby tree.

The screams had stopped. The wolf-men emerged from the bushes, all of them, wiping their mouths.

Nemui sat at the base of the tree, staring at them. No. No way. They couldn't have. Not him. Not Yosuke.

This was all his fault. He was the one who got Yosuke into games in the first place. If it wasn't for him, Yosuke wouldn't have even considered buying Sword Art Online. Yosuke would be sitting at home, having dinner with his family. Laughing with their friends. Living a normal life.

Living.

Something filled Nemui that he'd never felt before. It burned in the pit of his stomach, spreading through his veins like a wild fire. He felt white hot.

He felt angry.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! GIVE HIM BACK!" Nemui howled, picking up his sword and charging forward. Hana had her hands full with two of the wolf-men, being pushed back once again. One cracked her across with the head using the back of its palm, sending her into the dirt. Nemui was in front of it before it could dig in, dragging his sword right through the middle of its face. He landed as it disappeared, turning his attention to the others.

They were finally starting to take him seriously, as the real threat. They all focused on him, howling and rushing forward. Nemui cut through another with three quick strikes, but the odds were too much. Two of them tackled into him, pinning each of his hands down. These things were smart. He tried fighting against them, pushing to stand up, but they just held him down. One even kicked him across the head.

"Nemui!" Hana screamed, raising her hammer to strike again, but she didn't get close enough. A wolf-man slashed her from behind, raking three huge marks into her back. For the first time since the fight started, Nemui actually paid attention to their health bars. Both of them were dangling in the beginning of the red zone. Yosuke's had vanished.

There was no way out of this. They were going to die here. Yosuke had already died. He and Hana were about to. Fighting a full pack was suicide. They should have just teleported out when they had the chance. They had been so stupid. He had been stupid.

He just closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to begin, for them to start tearing him a new one.

Instead, the weight on his right arm vanished. There was a yelp as a flash of white smacked into the wolf-man's cheek, knocking him a few feet away. A girl wearing a white and red uniform was mid-jump over Nemui, long brown hair flowing behind her. She followed up with a series of thrusts from her rapier, the second wolf-man bursting apart.

"Knights of the Blood Oath, attack!" She shouted, a group of four men running towards them from the path leading to the entrance. The field turned into a war zone, knights fighting against wolf-men, swords smashing against claws. Sparks flew as the girl leaned over Nemui, placing a hand on his cheek. "Are you okay? How hurt are you?"

"Wh-who..?"

"I'm Asuna, of the Knights of the Blood Oath. I'm sorry it took us so long, but we'll take it from here." And she was gone, throwing herself into the battle. Nemui just laid there, staring up at the sky through the dead trees.

"Hana, are you there?" He asked, rolling over onto his stomach. The slightest movement caused him pain, like he was being stabbed with red hot iron rods, but he fought through it. Hana was laying a few feet from him, unconscious, but alive. "Thank God.."

He turned himself back over, gripping at the guard on his chest. The mission had been a complete and utter failure. Yosuke was dead. He and Hana had almost died. Something didn't sit right with him though. There was no way this was by chance. Whoever had sent that request.. They had set this up. He knew it. He was going to find them and make them pay.

The Knights of the Blood Oath finished the fight in only five minutes, a few of them running over to give the two medical attention, including Asuna. Nemui just sat there through the whole process, eating when he was told to eat, drinking when he was told to drink. He answered their questions about how they had gotten the request, how Yosuke had been killed, everything.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Asuna whispered, biting her lower lip gently. "We came here to investigate the Laughing Coffin claims, but we had no idea it was something this horrible. We should have been faster."

"It's not your fault," Nemui whispered, eyes staring at the dead floor. This whole setting seemed to fit the situation. It was forest of the dead. What else had he been expecting? "Damn it.. Yosuke.."

Hana waited until they had finished their questions to break. She threw herself around Nemui, the tears finally pouring over and she cried. She cried and cried, staining his shoulder with her tears, but he didn't care. He just sat there, putting one hand on her back, rubbing it in slow circles.

Ten feet away, an apple core dropped to the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

**May 31st, 2023**

There was a soft knock on Nemui's door before it creaked open, light spilling into the makeshift night he had created for himself. The curtains were closed, all the lights were off, and he had thrown a blanket over his head. He had barely left since Yosuke died.

"Nemui? It's Hana," The small girl whispered, making her way over to his hammock. He barely even shifted to acknowledge her. "You should come out.. Have something to eat."

"No thanks," He growled, voice hoarse and rough. He turned himself so he was facing the wall a little bit more, giving Hana the cold shoulder. He really just didn't want to see anyone. All he wanted was to be left alone. Was it too much to ask?

"Nemui, please."

"I said no!" He shouted, so fiercely that Hana jumped backwards, staring with wide eyes. He had never shouted at her before, or at any of the guild members before. This wasn't something she could fix. So she nodded and ran from the room, closing the door behind her with a bang.

The others were all waiting outside, hoping for some good news, but they could tell what had happened from the look on Hana's face. She was close to tears, sniffing to hold them back. Vicky groaned and dropped onto a chair, throwing her feet up onto the table.

"Dammit, I should just go in there and drag him out," She snarled, already cracking her knuckles in anticipation. Hana sprang to life, quickly moving in front of the guild leader to try and calm her down.

"N-no, that won't help! If anything he'll just be angrier!" She squeaked, eyes half closed. She was expecting Vicky to turn on her and smack her clean through a wall, but instead the hooded woman just sighed.

"Well, then what are we supposed to do? He hasn't left. He hasn't helped with requests. He hasn't even been in one fight since Yosuke died."

"Yosuke was his best friend, Vicky. It's only natural that he'd be depressed," Bluebell interjected from her little perch on the upper balcony, sitting with her feet dangling in free air. "They knew each other before all this started, remember?"

"Yes, but people die Bluebell! We knew that when we started this guild for God's sake! It sucks that Yosuke's gone, it really does, but we can't just sit around and wallow in pity!" Vicky shouted back, slamming a hand down on the table. The plates all jumped and hit the ground, smashing into a million pieces. "Ugh, dammit."

"Everyone heals at their own pace, Vicky," Magnus said, pulling up his chair next to her. "Nemui isn't as emotionally strong as you. He's always been vulnerable and he just lost his best friend. It's going to take a lot of time for him to get over it, if he ever does."

"So we just wait for him to crawl out of his room like a slug?"

"Essentially. You just have to be patient with the boy." Magnus' arm rested on Vicky's shoulder, gripping the fabric of her cloak. She looked like she almost wanted to pull away but didn't. Instead, she leaned slightly into the man's touch.

"I guess. Thanks, D-Magnus," Vicky stuttered, hoping that no one would pick up on her little bump. No one said anything about it, so she just let it go and turned her thoughts back to Nemui. She didn't understand how he could just lie in there and do nothing all day. It was just mind-boggling. She always had to be doing something, even if that something was looking after his sorry ass.

"All we can do is wait."

* * *

**June 14th, 2023**

The news shocked everybody.

The entire guild stood there, staring at Nemui, who was fully dressed in front of them. He had donned his cloak, weapon, and was even packing himself a bag of food. Bluebell's hand twitched, eyes wide, not believing what she had just heard. "Say that again."

"I said I'm leaving," Nemui repeated, the food bag vanishing inside his inventory. He looked up with baggy eyes, no light to them. It wasn't the same look he had when he was sleepy though. It was something else entirely.

"No, you're not," Bluebell growled, walking up to him and grabbing him by the front of his cloak. She got her face right into his, nose to nose, "You think that if you leave it'll stop hurting? That you won't have to deal with the fact that he's dead anymore?"

"I need a break from this. The fighting, the guild, everything."

"You've been holed up in your room for TWO MONTHS, Nemui! TWO MONTHS! We've been worrying ourselves sick over you! You can't just decide to leave!"

Nemui didn't say a word. He just stared at her, gaze never shifting. His eyes were hazy, clouded with emotion. Pain, anger, loneliness, guilt, there were all there. Bluebell even found herself flinching away from it. She hadnt seen a look in anyone's eyes like that since her mother. Right after her father died, she had held the same look in her eyes. She drank herself into a stupor every night. She became self destructive. Angry. Reckless.

"You can't be on your own, Nemui. Not the way you are now. It would be far too dangerous. You're angry. You'll get yourself killed." Bluebell whispered, hoping to get through to him. Anything to get through to him. "You just.. Can't go."

"I'm free to leave whenever I want to. I don't have to stay here.. I can't stay here. I just can't. Please, understand that." Nemui whispered as well, so they could only hear each other. It felt more like they were talking in private than in front of the entire guild. It was just them.

"Nemui.. Please.." Bluebell choked out, eyes stinging. No. She couldn't cry. Not in front of him. Not over him!

Before things got too emotional, Magnus stepped in. He was between the two, green eyes drilling holes into Nemui's.

"Alright brat. You want to leave so bad? Fine. But youre one of the founding members of this guild, Nemui. We won't let you just waltz out of here." Magnus growled, pulling his sword from his belt. Nemui's eyes stared down the slick blade, the tip of it pressing right up to his nose. "Fight me."

"I'm not fighting you, Magnus. Put down the sword. Please." The two men's eyes never left each others, the room silent. No one wanted to say anything, to get in the middle of something like this. It was far too dangerous.

Except for one person.

"Fine then Nemui. I have a different idea." Everyone turned to the one who spoke, Vicky, eyebrows raised. They all looked a bit funny, making the same expressions. "We play hide and seek."

"Excuse me?"

"A great big game of hide and seek. The four of us try to find you and, when we do, we knock you down to half health. If you can survive a day without being caught, then we'll let you leave. If we catch you, you stay." Vicky's gaze was exactly like Magnus's, driving right into Nemui's soul.

"Okay then." Nemui agreed, not even taking a second to think about it. He was sure of himself now. He knew some of the best places to hide out, knew where the others wouldn't go. If he had to, he would get others to help him out.

"Nemui.. Don't do this. Stay. Please.." Hana spoke up for the first time, her voice barely a whisper. Nemui smiled sadly at her, placing a hand on top of her head.

"Sorry.. But I have to. I just.. I have to." Nemui told her. Before he knew what was happening her arms were around him, face buried into his chest. She was trembling and he could feel the front of his shirt starting to dampen. He rubbed the top of her head, letting her cry. He couldn't tell her not to. It wouldn't be right.

An hour later, they were good to go. Nemui wore the same clothes he wore the day Yosuke had died, slipping the hood up and over his head. The duel request screen appeared in front of him, so he hit the time duel option. He could see the duel was set up to be four against one, the timer increasing quickly. It only took about a minute for the duel to be set up.

The sixty second timer began counting down from 60, the five of them staring at each other. Nemui avoided Hana's gaze, instead focusing on Vicky. Granted the Look of Doom wasn't much better, but it didn't make him feel guilty. Well, not as guilty.

3. 2. 1.

The timer blared and Nemui rocketed off into the city, heading straight for the teleportation gate. The others stood and watched him, counting down the seconds in their heads. Vicky had said he would get an hour to hide and then they would start hunting him.

"Go." She said right at the five minute mark, all of them splitting off into different directions. Hana decided to stay and check around the town, Bluebell ran for the teleportation gate and Magnus took off to search the surrounding area. Vicky didn't move, only stood in place.

"Alright then Nemui.. Lets see if you can handle life on your own." Vicky mumbled. She opened her menu, hit a few buttons.. And came out clad in black. She had a hood over her head, like the rest of the guild, but her face was completely shrouded. Her emerald eyes shone like stars underneath the hood, long hair stretching down to her chest. Her axe had been tossed aside, instead replaced with an eight foot long scythe. Two snakes were intertwined around the handle, ending at the blade. The blade was almost five feet long, black steel shining in the sunlight. "I'm not going to make this easy for you, you spineless little twat."

* * *

**A/N: For anyone who reads this, I know this chapter is much shorter than the others but don't fret: Next one's gonna be a doozy! Please, read and review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**June 14th, 2023**

Nemui stood at the opening to his favourite place, pushing in a brick. He stood at the corner of a house on the 22nd floor, the lake shimmering in the sunlight behind him. He could smell the grass, the water, even the burning odor of people cooking over thier fire places. He loved this floor. It was a place that was meant to go to and just.. Relax. That was it.

The house shifted backwards almost ten feet to reveal a staircase leading down and into the ground. Nemui had found this place one day while taking a nap and had leaned back on the wrong brick. As far as he could tell, no one lived in this house. Maybe he could live here someday.

He descended into the darkness, the house sliding back into place ominously. It had only bothered him the first time though. He knew exactly how to get out of this hiding hole. After about a minute of walking he came to the bottom of the stairs. Nothing was visible until he lit the lantern he kept in his inventory, smiling at the empty space before him.

It looked almost exactly like his room. Nothing that wasn't needed. He had a bed, a desk, a chair and a small food supply in the corner. He had made sure to find food that wouldn't spoil, though he did have to come back here frequently to replace it. He didn't mind though. He loved this place. He really felt like he could escape the rest of the world here, that he could truly be on his own.

"Yo." That one word snapped him out of his fantasy as he looked to the opposite end of the room. Sitting there were two people. One was a.. Rather scary looking boy. He was tall and so thin it looked like his skin had just been stretched over the bones beneath, with pale as could be skin. Even paler than Vicky's. Nemui didn't even think that was possible. He also had a foot tall bright red mohawk, with dark brown, almost black eyes. He wore black leather clothes with two skulls on his shoulder blades, along with shoes that had the same skulls. They were even covering his knees as well. Looking at him just made Nemui.. Nervous. He found himself turning away, only offering a slight wave.

"He looks scared of you, Crypt!" The other person sitting in the room was a girl with long, bright red hair. It flowed all the way down to her feet, swishing against the ground as she moved her head. Her eyes a chocolate brown, a few shades lighter than Crypt's. Her skin wasn't as pale, you could even go so far as to call it tanned. Her body was the kind that would draw any guy's attention, though she covered it up a bit more than the girl that Nemui had met on Christmas Eve. She wore a long black dress that stretched from her neck to her knees, along with a pair of long red gloves that covered up what the dress didn't on her arms. She had a sly smirk on her face, watching Nemui closely.

Nemui was feeling something from these two he had never felt from another player before. He was.. Afraid of them. Terrified. There was a lump in his throat and his heart was pounding a thousand beats a second. He was almost frozen in place as he looked at them, but for some reason, he couldn't take his attention off of Crypt. There was nothing but bloodlust in those eyes.

Crypt smirked a little more when he noticed Nemui's reaction, standing up slowly. Then he pointed above his head, Nemui's gaze following.

His symbol was a dark red.

"Y-you're a.." Nemui whispered, turning to look at the girl sitting next to him. Her player icon was the same shade of red, her tongue rolling along her lips slowly, sensually.

"That's right boy.. We're killers." And that was all he needed to hear. Nemui spun on his heel and moved forward for the stairs. His foot barely touched the first step before something shot past him in a blur of red. The girl was in front of him, the tip of her rapier pressed to his throat. "Where do you think you're going?"

Crypt stepped up from behind Nemui, his own weapon materializing in his hand. The three flail heads fell to the floor, clanging against it, sparks floating into the air. Nemui gulped nervously, his hands up above his head. He was going to die.

"P-please.. Don't do this.." He whispered, desperation slipping into his voice. He didn't care about looking tough at the minute. he just wanted to live. That was all that mattered.

"We've been watching you for a while, boy." The girl's blade cut along the side of his neck ever so slightly, causing him to flinch in pain. "I'm sorry about what happened to your little friend but.. It was necessary."

Nemui froze. His eyes were locked on hers, a new feeling replacing the fear. A red hot anger seeped through his veins, eyes narrowing at her. They couldn't have..

The girl started laughing, a shrill high pitched laugh that made Nemui's skin crawl. She got right in his face, a crazed look in her eye. Whoever this girl was, she was completely and utterly insane. "That's right! We brought the wolf-men to the woods. We put in the request and we were watching when your little friend was ripped to pieces!" Then she broke into another fit of hysterical laughter, even covering her eyes and trying to keep her balance. "You should see the look on your face!"

"I'll kill you..." Nemui growled, reaching for the blade that was on his side. Crypt's hand grabbed at his wrist, making a tut tut sound from behind him. Nemui tried to pull free, but it was like having an iron shackle around his arm.

"Now now, don't do anything you're going to regret Nemui.. I'm sure that Yosuke would be very sad if you died doing something stupid." Crypt was trying to keep the glee out of his voice, but failed at it. Nemui was shaking even more now, tears coming to his eyes. What the hell? Was he always this helpless?

"Hey, Crypt! Can I have some fun with him?" The girl asked, running a hand down Nemui's cheek slowly, finger tips lingering on his neck. Nemui tugged his head away from her hand in disgust, clenching his eyes shut tight.

"Do whatever you want, Megaera. I don't have an interest in him any more," Crypt answered, walking past the two of them and up the stairs. He waved to Nemui before pushing a brick on the right wall, the house sliding open behind him. He left without saying anything else, the entrance closing slowly behind him. Nemui watched with dread as the last sliver of sunlight faded, leaving the two of them alone.

Megaera smiled sweetly at him before driving a hard foot into his stomach. He coughed out and fell to his knees, gripping his midsection. "Don't pass out just from that!" And she grabbed him by the hair, heaving him across the room and onto the bed in the corner. He landed hard on the mattress, gasping out with pain. She was making sure that the pain would last though. His health had barely dropped ten percent.

She jumped onto him, landing with her hips straddling his. Her fingers ran down his cheeks, nails digging into his skin a bit too hard, causing him to wince. She giggled at his reaction and leaned closer to him, her nose brushing the nape of his neck. And then she sniffed him. She sniffed all along his neck and jawline, letting out a shaky breath against it. "You smell good.."

"Get off me.." He snarled, trying to push upwards, but she just slammed his shoulders back down onto the bed. Megaera wagged her finger at him, like she was disciplining a small child.

"Now now Nemui, you should behave yourself! Not many boys get a girl like me in bed~" She giggled again, slapping his cheek hard. Nemui winced and closed one eye, ignoring the stinging on the side of his face. "Now what should I do with you? Hm?" She asked, wiggling her hips a bit on his. Her look of glee turned to a pout and she leaned into his face, eyes disappointed. "You're not even hard! Please tell me you're not gay."

"I'm not gay, but I gotta say, the whole sadism thing isn't a turn on for me." He growled at her, trying not to get caught up in her rhythm. If she could stay distracted for long enough, maybe he could find a way out of this.

Megaera frowned at him and cupped his cheeks, leaning in so she was less than an inch from his face, "Well, I can fix that. I wanna have some fun~" And her lips were on his. Nemui's eyes widened at her as he tried to keep his mouth shut, but her tongue managed to slip past his lips. Her hands had released his shoulders now, running up and down his sides.

When she broke the kiss Nemui just stared at her, "Do you do this with all the guys that you kill?"

"So what if I do?" Megaera panted, her face flushed. She was actually getting off on all this. God, this game had some sick, sick people.

"I'm just wondering about the kind of slut you would have had to be in the real world to be like this here," He glared, voice full of malice. Instead of getting angry Megaera just giggled, moving her hips back and forth on his. As much as he tried to fight it, Nemui couldn't stop his body from trembling ever so slightly, the tiniest wave of pleasure hitting him. A wide, goofy grin made its way onto Megaera's face as she patted his cheek. She thought she had him.

Then he was up, his lips crashing against hers. Megaera's eyes widened in surprise but she quickly folded against him, arms wrapping around his neck. Their tongues danced in each other's mouths as he turned them over, hips grinding against hips. Megaera was falling into his rhythm now, letting him take the lead. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, her hips pushing closer to his. In between kisses and pleasurable gasps Megaera whispered, "Why the.. sudden change of heart?"

"Because now I've got you right where I want you." Megaera tilted his head at him before she felt it. His sword was impaled right through her stomach, all the way down to the hilt. She let out a wordless gasp of pain, arching her back towards him. Her hands reached for his throat but he just slapped them away. Her health bar dropped towards the red zone before depleting completely. Her body began to shine, a disbelieving look in her eyes.

Nemui was staring down at her, not a single drop of emotion on his face. His eyes were cold, face straight. "That. Was for Yosuke, you psychotic bitch." And then Megaera erupted into shards, floating up towards the ceiling before vanishing. Nemui dropped off the bed once she was completely gone, laying on the floor. He had just killed someone. His body began to tremble and he gripped his hair, screaming to the empty darkness. He had never done that before. Never taken a life. He didn't like how it felt. Tears were pouring from his eyes and he punched the floor, scraping his knuckles.

He sat there for hours, cradling himself in the corner, knees to his chest. He would never forget that look on her face. The look of absolute fear, anger, hate, all of it. He had just stolen away somebody's life. What about her family? How would they react knowing that their little girl was never going to wake up again? What if she had a boyfriend? A fiancé? He had just taken an entire lifetime away from her.

He decided right then and there that, when he got out of here, he was going to find her family. He was going to find out her real name and apologize to them. Apologize for killing their daughter. As messed up as she was, he had still killed her.

Nemui had been alone for over half a day when the passageway opened up again, the sound of heels clicking on the stairs causing him to snap to attention. He grabbed his sword from the bed, drawing it out from the torn fabric. His hands were trembling as he waited by the end of the stair case, waiting for his next attacker.

Bluebell stepped into the room, barely raising her sword in time to parry his strike. Multi-coloured sparks flew from their swords as she slipped backwards, landing on her rear end. "What the hell, Nemui?!" She shouted, jumping back up to her feet again.

"I-I thought you were.." He whispered, dropping his sword to the floor. All the anger faded from Bluebell's face as she looked at him, running over and touching his cheek gently.

"What happened, Nemui?" She whispered, her thumb stroking his cheek gently. As soon as he felt the familiar touch he crumpled against her, gripping her sides tightly, tears pouring over again. In a frenzy he explained what had happened, though he skipped the part about the almost rape. Bluebell's face twisted in anger for only a second when he told her that they had killed Yosuke, but she still just held him, letting him cry everything out. "I'm sorry Nemui.. So, so sorry.."

There was a loud blaring noise and the two looked up, seeing the timer for the duel hit zero. Nemui had done it. He had stayed out of everyone else's way, but he didn't feel any better. In fact, he just felt worse. So much worse.

Bluebell took him by the hand and led him up the stairs, the sunlight washing over them. Nemui covered his eyes from it, turning to face Bluebell, "How did you know about this place..?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Bluebell.. I want to stay. I nearly died today.. I won't.. Can't make it on my own. So.." There was so much weakness in his voice, so much insecurity, Bluebell couldn't even be angry he had put them all through this for nothing. "And.. I want to find that other one.. Crypt.. I'm going to make him pay for what he did.."

"Nemui.."

"I'm going to kill him."


End file.
